Simple Lettering Art Tutorial

I have always loved lettering art because it draws observers in. When you see art that’s made out of words, your natural instinct is to read its message! Creating lettering art also provides you as the maker with a way to focus on a theme. In today’s tutorial, the theme is special memories and shared interests. I’ll explain how to make the project, then provide you with usage ideas for it!

How to Make This Lettering Art

First, start with a square of card stock. The card stock shown here is 4.25″ x 4.25″ (108mm x 108mm). Next, choose a letter to center your art around. I am using the letter “H” because that’s what my recipient’s name starts with. If you have a stencil handy, trace around it to make a pencil outline of your letter. Alternatively, you can print out a letter and trace it onto the paper with a light box or a bright window (use the same technique as shown in the Calligraphy Ampersand Art Tutorial). Of course, you are welcome to freehand draw the letter!

Next, use your pencil to start filling in the area around the letter with little phrases and memories. You can use all different font styles — for example, I used “Open” lettering to write “I LOVE YOU” and Amy Style faux calligraphy to write “xo”. As you write words in pencil, you can go over them with a pen (I used a Pilot G2).

Continue to write, and don’t be afraid to adjust your lettering to accommodate the space. Just make sure you don’t write within the letter outline (“H”)!

As you write, you can add small, simple illustrations to enhance your words and phrases. You can see below that I drew mountains, a state of Kansas outline, a tea cup, jalapeños, and music notes. The illustrations aren’t technically complicated, but they add a lot of character!

Once you’re finished with the lettering, wait for the ink to completely dry, then erase the pencil lines. If you used a Pilot G2 pen, it’s best to wait at least an hour to erase. Immediately after writing, your ink will seem dry to the touch, but it will smudge if you run an eraser over it!

Once you’re finished erasing, you can leave the piece as-is or add some color with colored pencils!

Uses for Lettering Art

Lettering art has a lot of personality, so the uses for it are versatile. Here are some projects that I’ve used this concept to make in the past:

• Wall art – Instead of creating your lettering art on a small piece of paper, use a frameable large piece of paper. Free-hand draw the letter in the center.
• Gift tags – To make gift tags, you’ll want to create your lettering on a smaller piece of paper than the one suggested in this post. This (fairly ancient) tutorial can provide inspiration!
• Sketchbook page – Lettering art provides the perfect way to explore a theme in your sketchbook journal.

Please feel free to adjust the tutorial to suit the project result you are looking for! You can modify the paper color and size, use different writing utensils, and/or adjust the technique. It’s all about whatever makes it fun for you!

I hope that you enjoyed today’s tutorial! If you decide to make a project like this, I’d love to look at the results on Facebook or Instagram (you can tag @thepostmansknock or hashtag #thepostmansknock). It’s always really cool for me to see how you take tutorials like this and turn them into your own, super-creative thing! As a side note, this project was actually one of my contributions to the book More Creative Lettering: Techniques & Tips from Top Artists. If you liked the lettering art tutorial, you may enjoy the book!

Thanks very, very much for reading TPK, and enjoy the rest of your day!

Warmly,

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